While other MediaPost newsletters and articles remain free to all ... our new Research Intelligencer service is reserved for paid subscribers ...

Subscribe today to gain access to the every Research Intelligencer article we publish as well as the exclusive daily newsletter, full access to The MediaPost Cases, first-look research and daily insights from Joe Mandese, Editor in Chief.

Created by Kia’s U.S. design studio in Irvine,
California, the customized Telluride was a flashy way for the automaker to debut the brand’s largest and most upscale vehicle. The SUV’s production version makes its official debut in
January at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show.

The eight-passenger Telluride production model -- which will be assembled at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia -- will
provide a new, V6-powered option several inches longer and wider than Kia’s seven-passenger Sorento midsize SUV.

advertisement

advertisement

Rolls-Royce recently unveiled bespoke versions of several of its
ultra-luxury models at a party held during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Italian supercar-maker Ferrari has manufactured one-off versions of vehicles outside its
mainstream color range. Aston Martin offers a dedicated website to show off its bespoke options.

Kia has shown a number of
one-off custom cars over at auto shows and events over the years, but the Telluride that debuted at Fashion Week is its first bespoke model to result from a direct collaboration between its U.S.
design studio and a fashion designer, says Saad Chehab, vice president of marketing communications, Kia Motors America.

“Right now, this is purely a one-off, but that doesn’t mean
we won’t explore other opportunities, so you never know what the future holds,” Chehab tells Marketing Daily. “We want to be fresh and unique in our approach to upcoming
vehicle launches, and you’ll hear a lot more about Telluride between now and the official production vehicle unveiling.”

The bespoke edition was created to demonstrate the off-road
as well as the travel-in-style potential for the SUV, he says.

This specially tailored Telluride includes several nods to Maxwell’s Texas roots, including natural wood interior trim
and saddle-inspired double-stitched leather adornments on the dash, door panels and grab handles.

The designer had a natural connection to the automaker: His mom drive him to school in East
Texas in a Kia Sedona.

“When I left Marfa, Texas, where I designed my collection, I started talking with Kia,” Maxwell says in a release. Kia's philanthropic help for Marfa
also factored into his decision: “Kia is not just funding necessary technological purchases and educational programming to give the children of Marfa the quality education they deserve, but also
providing a vehicle for local teachers’ use.”